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United States and Canada discuss sharing of Immigration and Visa information

Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney as well as United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met last week to discuss border security, immigration in Canada and fast-tracking travel and business between the two countries.

The two signed a Terms of Reference for the Visa Policy Working Group, which would allow for information sharing and inter-country consulting about visas for both countries and traveler screening and admissibility. The Visa Policy Working Group has long been underway, but but the signing of the Terms of Reference formalizes it. “Canada’s longstanding geographic, economic and social ties with the United States are a source of strength for bough countries,” said Kenney. “By sharing information and working together we can redefine approaches to identifying and screening travelers to expedite the flow of individuals moving legitimately across our borders, while protecting against those who would threaten our shared peace and prosperity.”

The two also met around the same time last year, and discussed progress made on their collaboration on immigration issues as well as the screening, registration and identifying travelers since then. “The partnership between the United States and Canada is critical to promoting national security and economic growth in both of our nations,” said Secretary Napolitano, “Minister Kenney and I are committed to working together to develop and implement border security and immigration measures and standards that help ensure the safety and security of our citizens.”

What does this mean for our Clients applying for Visas to the US and/or Canada? Well in a nut shell, information pertaining to your Canadian or US Visas may be shared between the two countries. This means your Visa applications for either Canada or the US have to be prepared with this information sharing in mind so that your admission to either Canada or the US would not be negatively impacted. It is therefore even more critical to ensure your applications are properly prepared!

Any information provided here does not constitute legal advice and is intended for general information only. Should you require legal advise, you are encouraged to contact a lawyer directly. All blog postings are public and are not subject to solicitor/client confidentially. Case results depend on a variety of factors unique to each case, and case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any further case undertaken by the lawyer.

About Michael Niren

Michael is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section and the American Bar Association. He is frequently called upon to appear in the media to discuss Canadian and US immigration issues effecting North Americans. He has been interviewed by Canada AM, CTV, Canada News Net, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star and has given lectures on immigration topics overseas.

*Michael H. Niren Professional Corporation. Niren and Associates was established in 1997 and has grown with offices throughout Canada and the US. Our main corporate office is in Toronto, ON Canada and is where we process most our clients immigration applications.

Our resources and infrastructure are therefore vast so there is nothing we can not handle. We have the people and the expertise to address and resolve almost any immigration and visa problem.

Often when immigration law firms are too small, there simply is not enough resources available to handle your case in a timely and cost effective manner. At our Toronto Immigration Law Firm, we have established and proven Canadian & US immigration systems in place managed by trained professionals and trained lawyers who know how to bring your case to its conclusion in the most efficient manner possible.